From the Lady Eve to Mrs. Miller

Mrs. Miller is a tough businesswoman who takes McCabe fledgling business and makes it prosper. Yet, at the same time she is whore and an opium addict who runs a brothel in which she sells other women's sexual pleasures. Is she the model for the "liberated" woman of the "70"s? How does she compare with previous images of femininity such as Jean Harrington/Lady Eve? How much has changed for woman (in the movies at least) from the '40's to the '70's?

End of the American Dream?

At the end of McCabe & Mrs. Miller, McCabe may have defeated the bounty hunters sent to kill him, but he can only stumble through the snow, slowly bleeding to death. What does this film say about the small-time entrepreneur and the Goliath corporation? What does this movie tell us about heroes and the ideal of the rugged individual? Is the American Dream dead? Or is this film more about the era of Vietnam and Watergate?

How the West Looked and Sounded

Robert Altman utilized distinctive techniques of cinematography and sound in McCabe & Mrs. Miller. He used natural light during the day and subdued lighting to capture the look of gaslight during the night. He used sound that often captured all the noise in the room without differentiated individual voices. Thus much of the film looks dark and dingy and sounds noisy and unfocused. Does the lighting and sound add to the experience of watching the film -- or does it detract? Does it provide a sense of life in the West at the turn of the twentieth century? Or does it distract from the story?

Crime Never Pays?

Michel Poiccard is petty criminal who steals cars like some people speed on the highway.  He lies and cheats people close to him, including a girlfriend.  He is dangerous when cornered and has murdered a police officer.  Yet, at the same time, he is young and glamorous, faithful in his way to Patricia, and in the end willing to pay for his crimes. The film follows some of the rules of a film noir or gangster film.  Yet, the film also plays around with those conventions: the police, for example, are incompetent and there is not much tension or excitement in the chase scenes.  So what is going on?   Is this film saying anything about crime and punishment?  Or is it just messing with us?

What's New About the New Wave?

French New wave auteurs like Godard envisioned their films as a radical re-visioning of the static filmmaking of the French studio system. What experimental ideas or techniques did you notice in Breathless (could you explain in some detail)? How do these experiments change the way we enjoy a film? Are they engaging or annoying? Do they bring meaning to the film? Do they make fun of the whole idea of bringing meaning to film?

Love in the Time of the Beatles

One interpretation of Breathless is that it is a film about love in the modern world, where lovers know little about each others' past, have trouble communicating, follow their impulsive longings, only to end up betrayed at the end. Is there more to this take on modern romance? Is there something deeper in Michel and Patricia's relationship? Or is there something less? Is love even possible in the shadow of the atomic bomb and the Cold War? (Don't forget that Michel has other girlfriends and Patricia spent the evening -- and might have slept with -- her editor).